Tivoli Audio Radio Silenz

Tivoli Audio is known for its expensive speakers and sound systems designed with a minimalist retro vibe that often utilizes pretty wood or brightly colored plastic. The company is not known for headphones, for the simple reason that, until now, it had never released a pair. The Audio Radio Silenz is the debut headphone model from the audio and design icon, and at $159.99 (list), it's surprisingly more affordable than most Tivoli products. As the name implies, this is an active noise-cancellation pair, which seems like a gutsy move for a company that has never even attempted a standard pair of headphones. In short, the Radio Silenz suffers from some rookie mistakes, like a superfluous volume knob that can lead to distortion issues and noise-cancellation that, while effective, also adds some noticeable high pitch hiss to the equation. Luckily, at moderate volumes, the headphones sound great?and like all things Tivoli, they're good looking, too.

Design
The Radio Silenz uses wood for the housings of its earpieces, offered in three different finishes: black ash, walnut, or cherry. On each earpiece, the Tivoli logo is etched into the wood, just above the visible microphones used for detecting ambient room noise as well as amplifying room noise (all part of the noise-cancellation process). The black pads on the earcups are not the most plush we've felt, but they are not uncomfortable?they could be described as firm. The metallic headband adjusters recede into or expand from a black plastic covering, and the headband is covered in black leather that provides a bit of cushion over your scalp.

A black cable connects with the left ear, with the shirt-clip compartment that houses the noise-cancellation circuitry and the single AA battery (one is included, and Tivoli estimates a battery life of about 50 hours). The compartment also has a "Defeat" button, which mutes audio playback and boosts the ambient microphone feed so you can better hear your surroundings without needing to remove the headphones. Also on the compartment are a Power switch that engages the noise-cancellation (the Radio Silenz can output audio when in passive mode), and a volume knob. You get no mobile phone controls or microphone for calls.?The headphones ship with a not-so-protective, unpadded carrying pouch that they can fold down flat into, along with an airplane jack adapter.?

Performance
Unfortunately, the volume knob is an unnecessary addition that has the potential to cause distortion if your sound source's volume and the headphone volume are both too loud. Most headphones don't include an independent volume control, for this very reason. Some do offer volume controls that actually adjust the sound source's volume, as is the case with many iPhone-friendly models. If you were to max out both your sound source's volume and your headphone volume, you'd likely be in for an ugly (and painful) surprise.

The best sound I got out of my iPhone source was acheived by putting it close to maximum volume, and slowly adding volume on the headphones. Other combinations can work as well, such as maxing out the headphones (or coming close) and lowering your source volume significantly. In these two cases, I found the Radio Silenz to have a beautiful, crisp, articulate response?not bass-heavy in the slightest, but armed with subtle low-end. It's a sound signature that, oddly, reminded me of the in-canal? Etymotic ER-4PT ($299, 4.5 stars), but with a bit more bass boost.

Deep bass tracks like The Knife's "Silent Shout" have plenty of low-end presence, but this is not a subwoofer-like Beats by Dr. Dre ($349.95, 4 stars) bass response?it's much more of an audiophile-friendly flat response. Unfortunately, these deep bass tracks can get a bit distorted at top volumes, but you shouldn't be listening at those levels anyway. At moderate volumes, deep bass tracks sound more balanced than they do on a booming pair of headphones.

In my tests, John Adams' modern classical piece "The Chairman Dances" sounded bright and beautiful, though it sometimes felt like it was missing a hint of deeper resonance on the lower register strings and percussion, and very occasionally, usually with stringed instruments, some notes sounded a bit harsh at higher volumes. For the most part, however, the sound signature suits orchestral music very well, and many bass-heavy genres benefit from the Radio Silenz's more refined, articulate response.

That said, the noise-cancellation is not the best we've tried. It immediately reminded me of the Sony XBA-NC85D ($499.99, 3 stars), a in-ear pair with some audible noise-cancellation hiss issues. The hiss, no matter how much low and middle frequency ambient droning it can eliminate, is quite noticeable, and even audible over the music. The industry standard Bose QuietComfort15 ($299.95, 4 stars) does not have this problem. Of course, it is also almost twice the price.

The best-sounding, most affordably priced pair we've tested recently is the AKG K 490 NC ($249.95, 4.5 stars). Unlike the Radio Silenz, the K 490 NC does not suffer from hiss issues. But below $200, your options are limited. The in-ear Phiaton PS 20 NC ($149, 4 stars) is a bit less expensive than the Radio Silenz, and it doesn't distort at high volumes, though it does have a bit of a hiss issue, too. Overall, I like the Radio Silenz as a straight-up headphone pair?I wish that it didn?t have any noise-cancellation circuitry, bulky shirt-clip, or added volume control. If you're a fan of crisp audio and looking for a pair that offers a certain degree of noise-cancellation at a reasonable price, the Radio Silenz is a good-looking option worth checking out, but it's far from flawless.

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